Simple amine compounds are known to provide neutralizing, dispersant and/or hardening properties when used in paints and coatings and epoxy formulations. The simple amines, however, exhibit various shortcomings and undesirable properties when used in these applications and there is an ongoing need for new, next generation, solutions.
For instance, in many geographies, paint manufacturers are facing regulations to reduce the volatile organic content (VOC) of their formulations. Conventional neutralizing amines used in paint formulations are 100% volatile and are therefore VOC contributors. In addition, when used in an otherwise low VOC paint formulation, the odor of such amines is more noticeable. Efficient neutralizing agents, which both exhibit low or no VOC and have very low or no amine odor, would be a significant advance for the paints and coatings industry.
Paints and coatings are often subjected to widely varying temperatures, for instance during storage and transportation. Such varying temperatures may result in the paint or coating undergoing one or more freeze-thaw cycles. Freezing and thawing, however, has a detrimental effect on paint and coatings, unfavorably affecting their performance (e.g., by increasing the viscosity), and sometimes rendering the formulations unusable. Simple glycols (e.g., ethylene glycol) are sometimes included in paints and coatings with the purpose of providing freeze thaw stability. These materials, however, are often inadequate at providing the desired stability level. In addition, they may be high VOC materials and therefore generally not favored, particularly for use in low VOC formulations. New materials that address these concerns are desirable.
In the epoxy curing industry, many of the known amine-based hardeners currently used provide cured resins with limited adhesion stability. Replacement materials that can result in a resin with improved adhesion properties would be of value in the industry.